During the Eastern Han Dynasty, there was a seemingly absurd coup d'état. A deposed crown prince actually succeeded in seizing the throne with the strength of more than a dozen eunuchs. Although the coup may seem comical, behind it lies an intricate power struggle and family feuds. What is the reason why this marginalized prince was finally able to turn around? Let's find out.
Empress Dowager Yan's ambitions
After the death of Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu of the Eastern Han Dynasty, his son Liu Mang succeeded to the throne and was called "Emperor Gong" by the history books. Emperor Gong died young, and his son Liu Hong succeeded him as "Emperor Yuan". During the reign of Emperor Yuan, the eunuchs were autocratic, and the power of the court was controlled in the hands of the eunuchs.
After Emperor Yuan died without an heir, his brother-in-law Yan was from a humble background, and he was promoted to the empress dowager by virtue of his wife's power, specializing in court politics. The Yan family began to stretch out, and his wife and brother Yan Yong, Yan Qin and others were entrusted with important tasks, and the family became more and more powerful.
Empress Dowager Yan's son, Liu Hong, was supposed to inherit the throne, but because he was young and incompetent, Empress Dowager Yan deposed him and replaced him with a son of another clan, Liu Hong, in order to consolidate his dominance.
Although Liu Hong was deposed as the king of Jiyin, there were still many important ministers in the government and the opposition, believing that he should inherit the throne. In order to eliminate this hidden danger, Empress Dowager Yan secretly united with the eunuchs to slander Liu Hong, framed Liu Hong for "rebellion", and imprisoned him in the West Bell Tower and strictly guarded him.
In order to further consolidate her power, Empress Dowager Yan did not hesitate to eradicate dissidents. She not only imprisoned Liu Hong, but also killed a group of important ministers of the government and the opposition, causing the anger of the government and the opposition. The Yan family's population is already small, and such an overbearing and domineering person will inevitably cause a backlash.
Empress Dowager Yan's ambitions were destined for retribution. Although she temporarily took control of the government, she put her position in jeopardy and could be overthrown at any time. It all starts with her origins.
The crisis caused by the death of Emperor An of the Han Dynasty
During the reign of Emperor Yuan of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the power of the court was controlled by eunuchs. After Emperor Yuan died without an heir, his brother-in-law Yan Ji was promoted to the empress dowager by virtue of his wife's power, specializing in court politics. Empress Dowager Yan originally wanted to make her son Liu Hong emperor, but Liu Hong was too young and incompetent, so Empress Dowager Yan deposed him and appointed someone else as emperor to consolidate her rule.
In 106 AD, during the reign of Emperor Liu Zhao of the Han Dynasty, he suddenly fell seriously ill. In order to prevent Liu Hong from being reinstated, Empress Dowager Yan secretly concealed the news of the death of Emperor An of Han and acted quickly.
Empress Dowager Yan first sent her cronies to block the news and cut off the news that Emperor An of Han was critically ill from going out of the palace. At the same time, she ordered the children of the royal family to come to the capital and wait for an opportunity to choose a new heir.
After the death of Emperor An of Han, Empress Dowager Yan should have made Liu Hong emperor, but she was deeply afraid that Liu Hong would take revenge on her ministers after she was reinstated. As a result, Empress Dowager Yan secretly chose a new emperor to succeed her.
After some screening, Empress Dowager Yan finally established Liu Yi, Marquis of Beixiang, as emperor. Liu Yi was only ten years old, had no real power, and was completely the puppet emperor of the Empress Dowager Yan. Empress Dowager Yan then took the regency dictatorship and controlled the power of the court.
However, Empress Dowager Yan's actions caused anger in the government and the opposition. Although Liu Hong was deposed, many courtiers still supported him, believing that he should inherit the throne. In order to eliminate this hidden danger, Empress Dowager Yan did not hesitate to kill dissidents, which aroused the dissatisfaction of important ministers in the government and the opposition.
What's worse is that the Yan family's population is already small, and with such an arbitrary and domineering attitude, it will inevitably cause a backlash. The government and the opposition are increasingly dissatisfied with the Yan family, and the undercurrent is surging.
The most critical thing is that Liu Yi became seriously ill soon after he ascended the throne, and Empress Dowager Yan once again faced a crisis in the selection of heirs. This undoubtedly exacerbated the dissatisfaction of the government and the opposition against the Yan family, and laid the foundation for the later coup d'état.
The shaking of the power of the Yan family
Although Empress Dowager Yan temporarily took control of the imperial power, the foundation of her rule was precarious. The Yan family was not a powerful family, with a sparse population and an unstable foundation, making it difficult for long-term peace and stability.
In order to consolidate her dominance, Empress Dowager Yan did not hesitate to kill dissidents. She not only imprisoned Liu Hong, but also killed a group of important ministers of the government and the opposition, causing the anger of the government and the opposition. The ministers of the government and the opposition were extremely dissatisfied with the Yan family's approach, and there was an undercurrent.
What's worse is that the Yan family is short of talents and has no one to help. Empress Dowager Yan's approach was rude and arbitrary, coupled with the fact that the gate valve was not high, would inevitably cause a backlash. The government and the opposition are increasingly dissatisfied with the Yan family, and secretly brew actions against the Yan family.
The most important thing is that Empress Dowager Yan's puppet emperor Liu Yi became seriously ill shortly after he ascended the throne. This undoubtedly exacerbated the dissatisfaction of the government and the opposition against the Yan family, and laid the foundation for the later coup d'état.
Faced with the dissatisfaction of the government and the opposition, Empress Dowager Yan had to re-select an heir. But in the process, she once again exposed the incompetence of her family. Empress Dowager Yan secretly chose a new emperor to succeed her, causing greater dissatisfaction among the government and the public.
At the same time, the eunuchs also began to secretly turn against the water. At the beginning, in order to seize power, Empress Dowager Yan had attracted many eunuchs. But after taking power, she vigorously purged the opposition forces in the DPRK and the harem, even her former allies.
This practice undoubtedly angered the eunuchs. Although they did not dare to resist on the surface, they secretly began to get close to Liu Hong, who was under house arrest, and pledged allegiance to this person who should inherit the throne.
At the instigation of the eunuchs, Liu Hong also began to hatch a plan to regain the throne. They quietly gathered at the West Bell Tower, where Liu Hong was under house arrest, and plotted a counterattack.
Just when the Yan family was in full swing to choose a new emperor, the conspiracy between the eunuchs and Liu Hong had been secretly brewing. The bane of a coup d'état was thus buried.
The counterattack of the abolished prince Liu Bao
In November 121 AD, when Empress Dowager Yan was in full swing to choose a new puppet emperor to succeed her, a sudden coup d'état broke out.
The protagonist of this coup d'état is none other than Liu Bao, the deposed prince who was placed under house arrest by Empress Dowager Yan in the West Bell Tower. At the instigation of the eunuchs, Liu Bao's long-brewing plan to seize power was finally put into action.
One night, Liu Bao led a dozen eunuchs loyal to him and took weapons out of the West Bell Tower. They fought all the way to Empress Dowager Yan's dormitory and killed the eunuchs loyal to the Yan family.
With this sudden charge, Liu Bao and the eunuchs quickly fought their way out of the harem and took control of most of the palace. And the officers at the bottom, under the manipulation of the big families, turned a blind eye to this "coup".
Empress Dowager Yan was shocked to realize that something was wrong, and hurriedly mobilized her cronies to fight back. But it was too late, and the Yan family retreated one after another, and they were soon completely defeated.
And just like that, a seemingly ridiculous coup d'état took place. A deposed crown prince actually succeeded in seizing the throne with the strength of more than a dozen eunuchs.
The main reason for this coup d'état was the unstable foundation of Empress Dowager Yan's rule, coupled with the rude and arbitrary work, which caused the dissatisfaction of the important ministers of the government and the opposition. The eunuchs were even more offended by her, so they turned against each other and pledged their allegiance to Liu Bao.
And the family did not stand by and watch this coup d'état, also out of selfishness. They believe that after Liu Bao regains the throne, he will definitely purge the Yan family's relatives and vacate a large number of power positions, which is exactly what they want.
Therefore, when Liu Bao came out of the harem, the ministers of the court and the central government pretended to turn a blind eye. After the Yan family and horses were completely defeated, they supported Liu Bao to re-ascend the throne as emperor.
In this way, a seemingly comical "farce" actually happened in history. A marginalized crown prince finally succeeded in regaining the throne with the strength of more than a dozen eunuchs.